ALL-RITE
CONSTRUCTION C O M P A N Y,
I N C.
All-Rite Construction:
If You Can Build in New York,
You Can Build
Anywhere! Top retail chains order All-Rite Construction to bring their NYC construction specialty more national Written by: Kevin Doyle Produced by: Stephen Marino
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D
uring the last quarter century, All-Rite Construction has grown from a small family NYC construction specialist to more of a multi-regional firm by delivering retail chain satisfaction in a big way. Established in 1989, the commercial general contractor specializes in retail construction and provides a complete suite of services. The company is a member of the Retail Contractors Association (RCA) and boasts a client list that includes some of the country’s top retail chains such as GameStop, Family Dollar and AutoZone. “We started as a small family business with my father, me and two of my brothers. Our first major account back then was Radio Shack,” recalls company President Warren Zysman. All-Rite Construction began operating primarily in New York City and the Tri-State area but now is licensed to operate from Maine to South Carolina along the East Coast and has recently expanded into Ohio, Indiana,
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| All-Rite Construction| 1 Illinois and Texas. The company retains a staff of approximately 20 office personnel and site superintendents and works with a large network of preferred sub-contractors. All-Rite initially performed private and public sector work but quickly realized that working with national retailers provided the most stable source of income. “The retailers typically knew what they wanted, didn’t micromanage projects and when you were done, you got paid,” Zysman says. “It was a different mindset
| All-Rite Construction| 2 than public work, when you’re going up against 20 or 30 bidders. You don’t build the same types of relationships as you do with the retailers. Once they get to know you and trust you, you’re operating on a different level than when you’re doing a one-off for a client you won’t see again.” The company established its presence in New York by doing open store remodels for Radio Shack and others. “It’s one of the toughest aspects of retail construction. You come in at night when the store closes and
rip out a whole section and by 8 or 9 o’clock the next morning you make it like you weren’t even there and they are open for business. Then you come back the next night and start it all again,” Zysman says. Now approximately 95 percent of the company’s business is for clients with whom it has relationships extending back 10 to 15 years. What makes it stand out from competitors? “We pride ourselves in being a growing family business where the key individuals are plugged in. When a VP of construction or high-level person affiliated with a retailer calls, we’re extremely responsive. Whatever their issue is we make it a priority to give them immediate service, so they know they can rely on us to take care of whatever concerns they have. We love what we do and we give them the feeling that we’re partners and we go the extra mile,” Zysman explains.
A Key Early Decision
The move to join the RCA came at the suggestion of a Project Manager at Radio Shack who
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was a member of RCA’s Advisory Board at the time. “He said it was in our best interest to become associated with the group. I’m really happy that we have because it’s taken our company in a totally different direction and it’s opened up a lot of doors for business that I don’t think we’d get as easily without being part of the association,” he says. Zysman isn’t shy in his support of and belief in the RCA, lauding its efforts to educate retailers, property owners and manage-
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ment companies about the level of industry expertise of each of the association’s member companies. “RCA brings a lot of value to marketplace, especially its education. Now, if you’re not part of RCA, you’re not going to get on that mall ‘Approved’ list. They have a very good reputation that has taken probably 20 years to develop,” he notes. “And I find they have great core values that they stick to.”
Strong Supporting Cast
From the very start, the company
| All-Rite Construction| 4 has developed a broad network of sub-contractors. Running local crews that understand the landscape and its inherent challenges has been a key component of All-Rite’s success, especially in New York City. “We have developed a network of subcontractors and architects in the five boroughs that have helped us succeed, can cut through the red tape, and can get us permitting and inspections. Having the right sub base is key to getting things done quickly and on schedule in New York – that’s
“We pride ourselves in being a small family business where the key individuals are plugged in. When a VP of construction or high-level person affiliated with a retailer calls, we’re extremely responsive.”
- Warren Zysman, President
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how we grew,” Zysman says.
client Panda Express.
“When we have to ask them to jump through hoops and do something that’s not normal, since we have that ongoing relationship and years of trust, they will bend over backwards for us as opposed to somebody who is new, doesn’t work with us and doesn’t know us,” Zysman says.
“Most of the buildings are 100plus years old and have been renovated so many times that you basically have to rip it apart and put it all back together in a cohesive way that makes sense and brings it up to local code. It’s a matter of having the right team in place that can work under those conditions, can handle that kind of pressure and excel,” Zysman says.
The company has been working on a number of challenging locations for new
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The company has also executed a number of new builds for
| All-Rite Construction| 6 AutoZone for the past six years, including multiple locations in The Bronx. “Very tough conditions dealing with all the different city agencies that have different agendas and different permitting requirements. Everyone is pulling you in a different direction and all these deadlines have to be met. So you have to have subs that are familiar with the process, who know the inspectors, who know people in the Building Department,” Zysman asserts. The company’s services start before and extend beyond
actual site work. “With GameStop, when they’re negotiating for new sites and not sure whether they’re going to sign the lease, we go out with them with the real estate agent and look at the existing conditions and give them a number. We point out some of the pluses and minuses of the site so they can use that in negotiating the lease with the property owner. We’ll do that with whatever client takes us up on it,” Zysman says.
A Patient Operation
Zysman handles the office –
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| All-Rite Construction| 7 from working with insurance companies, banks and bonding companies to driving Sales and Marketing – while his brothers oversee field operations and cultivate strong relationships with key real estate brokers and retail clients.
Zysman says the small, tight-knit staff communicates constantly and that everyone is kept up to date on each project as well as the latest industry trends. All Field Superintendents are currently engaged in OSHA 30-hour training online.
“Steady growth has been our philosophy through the years. And we’re selective about who we work for and make sure they’re a good fit. Not every job is necessarily geared to our mutual strengths,” he says.
“They all have the credential which is valuable to us and to our retail client. It keeps us up to date with all safety requirements so that we are running really safe job sites,” Zysman says.
“RCA brings a lot of value to marketplace, especially its education … They have a very good reputation that has taken probably 20 years to develop.” - Warren Zysman, President
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Unannounced site inspections
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are part of the safety protocol. “We have to be so careful managing risk. Blind inspections keep everyone honest and help make the site as safe as possible. We’re serious about safety. Our subs have to abide by our rules or they’re not going to work with us. Everything falls back to the GC, so we have to make sure the subs are in compliance with our insurance requirements,” Zysman notes. He is a stickler about contracts (“I actually read them”) and is willing to spend money up front to
review them rather than signing off blindly and facing potential long-term problems. The company contracts with Fusion Employer Services of Lawrenceville, NJ, a third-party Professional Employment Organization (PEO) that manages Human Resources. “They keep us up to date on all the legal changes and compliance with labor requirements. They also do our payroll and are responsible for satisfying all the tax requirements
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| All-Rite Construction| 9 “Steady growth has been our philosophy through the years. And we’re selective about who we work for and make sure they’re a good fit.” - Warren Zysman, President
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in all the states that we work in. They also have attorneys that we can consult with about labor issues and they also provide staff training through consultants,” says Zysman. “The PEO is a major advantage for us. It allows us to handle more
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COMPANY INFORMATION important things, such as the workload of jobs and making sure they are getting handled correctly, efficiently and with as few mistakes as possible,” he adds. All-Rite’s approach keeps repeat business coming the company’s way.“Our ongoing relationships and proving ourselves on job after job, gets us that return business. I like to think we go above and beyond what is expected,” Zysman concludes.
Company Name: All-Rite Construction Country: United States Industry: Construction Est: 1989 Premier Service: Commercial general contractor specializing in retail construction.
President: Warren Zysman Website: www.all-riteconstruction.com
www.all-riteconstruction.com
ALL-RITE
CONSTRUCTION C O M P A N Y,
I N C.
73 Dewey St. PO Box 2098 Garfield, NJ 07026 P: 800-255-7483 F: 973-546-9964 E: info@all-riteconstruction.com